At Saskatoon Circle, we come together to create a village. The teachers who offer their time and skills are the beating heart of that village. Each year, we strive to include a well-rounded roster of classes that cover the basics and beyond. Each of the 5 class days, there are two sessions of classes. Some are 1/2 day classes, others are multi-day commitments. The final schedule will not be posted until the gathering is happening, but there will be a plethora to choose from.
Hide tanning, basket weaving, friction fire, cordage, rawhide craft, animal processing, blacksmithing, wild plant food and medicine, buckskin sewing, fur tanning, leather braiding, footwear, fermentation and brewing, homestead skills, plant ID, natural movement, song and story are all classes you can expect to see. Also, we have an amazing kids program, so your young ones will be fostered in these skills as well.
Many classes will have a fee for materials provided by the instructor. This fee will vary from a couple bucks for plant fibers to $100 or more for a bow stave or more complex materials like processed cedar. Also, your teachers may have beautiful examples of their craft for sale, which is a wonderful way to honor them and support their lifestyle.
A note on being a lifelong learner: One thing I have seen through the years of teaching skills classes is the desire of many students to be “perfect” their first time. This is a modern fallacy that does nothing but hinder growth and learning. Of course your first hide will not be as nice as the hundreds your teacher has tanned! No teacher can download all their years of knowledge to you in one class! You can be given the spark, but you need to earn the results through your own exploration. The purpose of a skills gathering is to jump start the learning process, expose people to new skills they may fall in love with, and build connections between people. And everyone, teacher or student, brings their own magic to the gathering. The conversations late at night around the campfire are just as generative as the classes during the day, and the friendships built will last long after your first basket has composted back to the earth.
